Lima, OH (WLIO) - The Lima branch of the NAACP is urging people to exercise their right to vote. The organization held a voter registration drive Saturday at Vibe Coffeehouse. The NAACP had voter registration and forms for people to request an absentee ballot for the November 8th election. They want to make sure that people not only get registered for the first time, but if they were dropped from a voting role that they can get re-registered to be part of the process.
“We need for everyone in our community to be registered so all votes can be heard,” says Lakendra Blackman of the NAACP Lima Branch. “I believe that our vote is our voice. So we are just here to be of any type of assistance to our community as means to registration and how to do that.”
And they believe that voting in races for elected positions, like judges and sheriff, can give the public the chance to weight in on how well those elected officials are doing in those positions.
“If they are not doing their job, we can vote them out,” adds Amber Basares. “Some of the judges that are titled hanging judges. You know they were giving our young black men and first time offenders, 27 years, 34 years, 67 years for first time offense.”
The NAACP Lima Branch will also be making available rides for people to get registered to vote and for people to get to the polls on elections day. The number is 567-825-2805. The deadline to register to vote is October 11th and early voting starts on October 12th.
